X:1
T:The American King.
F:http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
B:The Ploughboy's Glory.  Edited by Michael Dawney. EFDSS 1977
S: Mr Edmund Knight, Washington, Sussex. December 1907.
M:3/4
L:1/4
K:G
G/A/|B B (c/B/)|A A (B/A/)|G E F|G2 (G/A/)|
w:The A-me-ri-can *King stole my *true love a-way, And
B B (c/B/)| A A (B/A/)|G E F|G2 G/B/|
w:I in old *Eng-land no *lon-ger can stay. I will
d d (e/d/)|(d/B/) G (G/B/)|d B d|A2 G/A/|
w:swim the wide *o-*cean all *on my bare breast, For to
B3/2 d1/2 (c/B/)|(A/G/) E (G/E/)|D G A|G2||
w:find out my *true  *love, the *one I love best.
W:The American King stole my true love away,
W:And I in old England no longer can stay.
W:I will swim the wide ocean all on my bare breast,
W:For to find out my true love, the one I love best.
W:
W:And when I have found out my true heart's delight
W:I will be as true to her as the stars of the night.
W:I will be as true to her as a true turtle dove,
W:And I never will at no time prove false to my love.
W:
W:In the middle of the ocean there grows a myrtle tree,
W:And if ever I proves false to the girl that loves me,
W:The green leaves shall wither, and the branches decay,
W:And the beauty of a fair maid will soon fade away.
W:
W:And when I have got her so safe and sound,
W:We will have all sort of music as ever can be found,
W:The bells they shall ring and the guns make a noise,
W:For to welcome my true love with ten thousands of joys.
W:
W:For the meeting is a pleasure, the partings a grief,
W:And an unconstant lover is worse than a thief,
W:For a thief will but rob you, and take all you have,
W:And an inconstant lover will bring you to the grave.
W:
W:The Grave it will rot you, and bring you to dust,
W:And there is not one in twenty young men girls can trust,
W:They will kiss you, they will court you and sware to be true,
W:And the very next moment they will bid you adieu.
W:
W: